In Need Of Comfort
by etmuse
Summary: Ianto needs some looking after when an alien encounter leaves him unconscious. Part of the 'Guilt Redux' series


Ianto cracked open one eye very cautiously, his head swimming as awareness seeped back in. The world was tilted at an odd angle, and after a few seconds he realised that it seemed like he was being carried somewhere. The surroundings were familiar, but he just couldn't place them.

The input overwhelming his brain, he let his eye drift shut again, leaning into the solid warm surface he was nestled against.

"What's happened?" The voice, like the area, seemed familiar, and he tried to work out why, but his thoughts were sluggish.

"He got blasted in the face with the venom of a Barkan," a voice near his ear said. "He'll be…" The voice continued, but the words started to wash together in Ianto's mind and he couldn't make any of them out. It was Jack, though, definitely Jack. And as long as Jack was there, everything was going to be okay. With that thought, Ianto slipped helplessly back into unconsciousness.

He awoke shivering, disoriented and confused. Where was he? There was a heavy weight across his body and he couldn't move. He struggled in vain, panicking a little.

"Hey, hey." Lisa's face swam into view in the dim light, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder. "You're okay, calm down. Shhh."

"Lisa?" He blinked at her. "What's…?"

"You're in our spare room," Lisa said softly, rubbing gently at his shoulder, tucking blankets around him more tightly with her other hand. "You had an accident in the field, but you're going to be just fine. Jack had to go back to work, but he'll come back for you soon, I promise."

The rush of information was a bit much, and Ianto had forgotten most of it almost as soon as he heard it. "I…? Jack?" He still didn't know why he was here, and trying to concentrate long enough to work it out was exhausting.

"Just rest," Lisa murmured, shifting away slowly. "You'll feel better later."

"But…? What's wro…?" Ianto was asleep before he could finish the sentence.

Ianto blinked into the darkness. He dimly recognised the wallpaper as that of the spare room at Lisa and Andy's flat, but he wasn't entirely sure how he had come to be there. The last thing he remembered was… oh. Getting a faceful of _something_ from that... whatever it was they'd been going after. He couldn't recall the name, but evidently, whatever it was he'd been sprayed in the face with had knocked him for six.

There was no light coming in the window, so he'd clearly been there for a while.

Sweating, he wriggled a little to free himself from layers upon layers of blankets he was swaddled in. There was a soft startled grunt from beside him. A moment later, courtesy of Jack, a bedside lamp flicked on, the light making Ianto squint for a few seconds.

"You're awake."

Ianto opened his mouth to comment on Jack's talent at stating the obvious, but Jack continued before he could get a word out. "How are you feeling?" He reached out and helped Ianto shuffle into a sitting position.

Ianto rolled his shoulders and wobbled his head slightly, taking stock. "A little woozy," he admitted. "But otherwise okay." He met Jack's concerned gaze. "What happened?"

Jack shifted closer, sitting on top of the covers and leaning back against the wall. "You don't remember?"

Ianto shook his head. "I remember chasing the… whatever it was…"

"Barkans, we think," Jack interjected.

Ianto nodded. "Yes, them. Then there was a spray of something and… next thing I remember is waking up just now."

"It's one of their defence mechanisms," Jack told him. "Can be lethal to their own kind, and a few other species across the universe, but – luckily." He paused, swallowing hard and cupping Ianto's cheek in his palm. "Luckily, the only major effect it has on humans is a few hours of unconsciousness and confusion."

Jack leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to Ianto's lips. "There were too many of them for me to take you home and look after you there, and I knew Lisa had today off, so I brought you here."

Which confirmed Ianto's initial thought that they were in Lisa and Andy's spare room. "How long have I been asleep?"

Jack shrugged one shoulder. "About six hours, more or less. Although Lisa said when I got here that you hadn't been asleep the whole time. Apparently you woke up a few times, very confused and asking for me." He smiled tenderly, clearly pleased by the idea that he was the one Ianto asked after when woozy and bewildered.

Ianto felt a hint of a blush rising to his cheeks – yes, Jack knew that he loved him, but they usually tried to avoid that level of sentimentality.

"So…" he started, clearing his throat. "We should… probably go let Lisa know that I'm okay now."

Jack nodded and pulled back. "Yeah, yeah, we should."

Ianto started to peel back the numerous blankets covering him. In addition to the duvet, he discovered two unzipped sleeping bags, a thick woollen affair that had been used more often for picnics than it had for warmth, and the rather squint and misshapen blanket that had ended the woolcraft phase Lisa had started with those fairly awful Christmas jumpers several years ago.

"Is there a reason for all the blankets?" he asked as he tugged back another thin duvet to find that, underneath them all, he'd been draped in Jack's coat. Jack's coat, that he insisted on wearing even in the height of summer. That he had given it up, presumably to keep Ianto warmer, was fairly astounding.

"Your teeth were shattering so hard I thought you might actually crack one by the time we got here. I'm guessing a side effect of the venom. Lisa found everything she could to warm you up."

Ianto pushed all of the blankets to the bottom of the bed, gathering Jack's coat up into his arms. He looked down at it, and back at Jack. "Actually," he said slowly, trying not to let a smirk show on his face. "I think I might still be feeling a bit chilly after all. Maybe I'll keep a hold of this. I've always wondered what it would be like to have a big swishy coat."

Ianto's plan fell flat, as the expected horrified look never materialised on Jack's face.

But he couldn't really be disappointed – the speculative look he got instead more than made up for it…


End file.
